‘“She was bashful. Having beheld her in her youth and beauty, the evil-souled Nahusha was delighted. He lost his senses because of desire.”’
676(13)
‘Shalya said, “Having seen her, Nahusha, king of the gods, addressed her thus. ‘O one with the beautiful smiles! I am Indra of the three worlds. O one with the beautiful thighs! O one with the beautiful complexion! Serve me as your husband.’ Having been thus addressed by Nahusha, the goddess, who was devoted to her husband, trembled in fear, like a plantain tree during a storm. She joined her hands in salutation and bowed her head before Brahma. She told Nahusha, king of the gods whose visage was terrible, ‘O lord of the gods! I am asking for some time from you. I do not know where Shakra is. I do not know where he has gone. O lord! Let me try to ascertain the truth. Alternatively, if this cannot be found out, I will serve you. I am telling you this truthfully.’ Having been thus addressed by Indrani, Nahusha was delighted. Nahusha replied, ‘O one with the beautiful hips! It will be as you say. Once you have got to know, your task is to come here. Remember the truth you have sworn.’ Thus given permission by Nahusha, the beautiful one departed. The ascetic one went to Brihaspati’s abode.
‘“O supreme among kings! On hearing her words, the gods, with Agni at the forefront, began to consult about what might be done for the sake of Shakra. They went and met Vishnu, the god of the gods and anxious, the ones who were eloquent with words addressed these words to the lord Vishnu. ‘Shakra, the lord of the masses of gods, has been burdened because he has killed a brahmana.85 O lord of the gods! You are our refuge. O lord! You were there before the universe was created. You assumed the form of Vishnu for the sake of protecting all beings. When Vasava slew Vritra through your valour, he was burdened because he had killed a brahmana. O supreme among the masses of gods! You decide on a way for him to be freed.’ Having heard the words of the gods, Vishnu replied, ‘Let Shakra offer a sacrifice to me. I will purify the wielder of the vajra. Having worshipped me, let the chastiser of Paka perform a holy horse sacrifice. Without any fear, he will then become Indra of the gods again. The evil-minded Nahusha will ensure his destruction through his own deeds. O gods! You must be patient and endure him for some time.’ Having heard the pure and true words of Vishnu, which were like amrita, all the masses of gods, the preceptors86 and the gods went to the region where Shakra had hidden himself, anxious with fear.
‘“Then the great-souled and great Indra performed the extremely great horse sacrifice. O king! This was for the sake of purifying him from the taint of killing a brahmana. O Yudhishthira! He distributed the killing of a brahmana over trees, rivers, mountains, the earth and women.87 With it having been thrown out and distributed among beings, the lord of the gods was cleansed of his fever. Vasava’s soul became pure and he assumed his earlier form. The slayer of Bala saw that Nahusha was not going to move from his position. Having obtained the boon, he was now unassailable, because he had absorbed the energy of all beings. Therefore, the god who was Shachi’s husband vanished again. Waiting for the appropriate time, he remained invisible to all beings. When Shakra seemed to have been destroyed, Shachi was immersed in grief. In great misery, the goddess began to lament. ‘Alas, Shakra! If I have ever given, if I have ever received gifts, if my seniors have been satisfied with me, if there is any truth in me, I will only have one husband. I am bowing down before this divine and auspicious goddess Night, which has now embarked on a northern course.88 May my wishes be fulfilled.’ When Night arrived, the goddess worshipped her. Because of her devotion to her husband and because of her truthfulness, Upashruti89 appeared before her. The goddess asked Upashruti, ‘Show me the region where the king of the gods is. Use the truth to show me the truth.’”’
677(14)
‘Shalya said, “On seeing that the goddess90 was endowed with youth and beauty, thus did Upashruti appear before the beautiful and virtuous one. Indrani was delighted and showing her homage, said, ‘O one with the beautiful face! I wish to know who you are. Tell me.’ Upashruti replied, ‘O goddess! I am Upashruti. Since I am satisfied with your truthfulness, I have shown myself before you. You are devoted to your husband. You have restraint and are self-controlled. I will show you Shakra, the god who killed Vritra. O fortunate one! Follow me quickly and you will be able to see that supreme among gods.’ As the goddess91 went on ahead, Indrani followed her. Having traversed many forests of the gods and many mountains, she crossed the Himalayas and went to its northern slopes. She came to an ocean that was many yojanas wide. She then went to a large island that was covered with many trees and creepers. She saw a divine lake there, populated by many kinds of birds. It was pure and a hundred yojanas broad, with a similar length. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Thousands of divine lotuses bloomed there, with five colours, and bees buzzed around. She broke the stalk of a lotus and entered with her.92 She saw Shatakratu, who had also entered there. On seeing her lord in that extremely tiny form, the goddess and Upashruti also assumed extremely tiny forms.
‘“Indrani praised Indra for the famous deeds he had performed earlier. Having been thus praised, the god Purandara told Shachi, ‘Why have you come here and how did you get to know that I was here?’ She then told him about what Nahusha had tried to do. ‘When he became the Indra of the three worlds, he became insolent because of his valour. O Shatakratu! Having become insolent, the evil-souled one asked me to serve him. That evil one has granted me some time. O lord! If you do not save me, he will bring me under his powers. O Shakra! I am tormented because of this and have come to you. O mighty-armed one! Destroy that terrible Nahusha. His mind is set on evil. You are the destroyer of daityas and danavas. Reveal your own self. O lord! Regain your own energy. Rule the kingdom of the gods.’”’
678(15)
‘Shalya said, “Having been thus addressed by Shachi, the illustrious one replied, ‘This is not the time for valour. Nahusha is superior in strength. O beautiful one! The rishis have made his powers increase because of the oblations he has offered to the gods and the ancestors.93 O goddess! I will indicate a course of action and you should carry it out. You must carry this task out in secrecy. O beautiful one! You must not talk about it in any way. O slender-waisted one! Go to Nahusha and tell him when you are alone, “O lord of the universe! Come to me in a celestial vehicle that is borne by the rishis. I will then happily come under your control.” Tell him this.’ Thus addressed by the king of the gods, his lotus-eyed wife told him that it would be this way. She went to Nahusha. When Nahusha saw her, he was surprised and spoke these words. ‘O one with the beautiful thighs! You are welcome. O sweet-smiling one! What can I do for you? I am devoted to you. Love me. O fortunate one! O spirited one! What task do you wish me to perform for you? Do not be shy. O slender-waisted one! You should have trust in me. O goddess! I truthfully swear that I will do whatever you ask me to.’ Indrani replied, ‘O lord of the universe! I am waiting out the time that you have granted to me. O lord of the gods! After that, you will become my husband. There is a task that I desire in my heart. O king of the gods! Think about it. O king! I will tell you about it, provided that you do what brings me pleasure. Out of love, I am speaking these words to you. If you carry them out, I will come under your control. As his vehicles, Indra possessed horse, elephants and chariots. O lord of the gods! I desire a vehicle from you that has not existed earlier, one that Vishnu, Rudra, the asuras or the rakshasas do not possess. O great king! O lord! Let all the rishis bear you together on a palanquin. O king! That will bring me pleasure. You should not be the equal of the asuras or the gods. With your valour, you should grasp all their energy by glancing at them. O brave one! No one will be able to stand before you.’
‘“Having been thus addressed, Nahusha was extremely delighted. The Indra of the gods spoke these words to the unblemished one. ‘O one whose complexion is beautiful! You have spoken about an extraordinary vehicle. O goddess! I have taken a strong fancy towards it. O one with the beautiful face! I am under your powers. One who makes t
he sages carry his vehicle cannot be weak in strength. I am a powerful ascetic. I am the lord of the past, the present and the future. When I am angry, the universe ceases to exist. Everything is vested in me—the gods, the danavas, the gandharvas, the kinnaras, the serpents and the rakshasas. O sweet-smiling one! All the worlds are not enough to counter my anger. I take the energy from anyone I look at with my eyes. O goddess! There is no doubt that I will act in accordance with your words. The seven rishis94 will bear me and all the brahmarshis. O beautiful one! Behold my greatness and my prosperity.’ Having spoken thus, he gave the goddess with the beautiful face permission to leave.
‘“He did not possess the qualities of a brahmana. He was powerful and intoxicated. He was insolent because of the boon. He yoked the rishis, who were established in the rules, to his celestial vehicle. That evil-souled one was overcome by desire and made the rishis bear him. Having been dismissed by Nahusha, she told Brihaspati, ‘Only a little bit of the time that Nahusha granted me is left. Hunt out Shakra quickly. I love him and show me compassion.’ The illustrious Brihaspati told her, ‘It will be this way. O goddess! You have no reason to fear the evil-minded Nahusha. He will not last for a long time. That worst of men has been destroyed. He is ignorant of dharma. O beautiful one! He has made the maharshis carry him and has been slain.95 I will offer oblations for the destruction of that evil-minded one. I will go to Shakra. O fortunate one! Do not be afraid.’ Having kindled a fire in accordance with the prescribed rites, the immensely energetic Brihaspati offered oblations to discover where the king of the gods was. The illustrious god of the fire himself appeared. He adopted the extraordinary form of a woman and suddenly disappeared. With the speed of the mind, he searched the directions, the sub-directions, the mountains, the forests, the earth and the sky, and returned within a brief moment to Brihaspati. Agni said, ‘O Brihaspati! I cannot see the king of the gods anywhere. Only the waters remain to be searched and I am incapable of entering the waters. O brahmana! I have no means of going there. What else can I do for you?’ Having been thus addressed, the preceptor of the gods said, ‘O greatly resplendent one! Enter.’ Agni replied, ‘I cannot enter the waters. That will be my destruction. I am seeking refuge with you. O immensely radiant one! Be pacified. The fire arose from the waters,96 kshatriyas from brahmanas and iron from stone. Their energy goes everywhere, but is pacified if they return to their wombs.’”’
679(16)
‘“Brihaspati said, ‘O Agni! You are the mouth of all the gods. You carry the oblations. You are inside all beings97 and roam around like a secret witness. The wise ones have spoken of you as one, and again as three.98 O bearer of oblations!99 Without you, the universe is instantly destroyed. Having bowed down before you, the brahmanas go to whatever eternal destinations they have won because of their own deeds, together with their wives and their sons. You are the bearer of oblations. You are the supreme oblation. You are worshipped at sacrifices. You are the supreme sacrifice. O bearer of oblations! Having created the three worlds, you become the kindling and cook them when the time has come.100 You gave birth to this entire universe. O Agni! You are the foremost reason for its establishment again. O Agni! You are the source of all water. You are the blazing lightning. The flames that issue from you burn all beings. Water is based on you. Everything is this entire universe is based on you. O purifying one! There is nothing in the three worlds that is not known to you. Everyone loves one’s womb, so enter the water without any fear.101 I will make you grow with my eternal brahmana mantras.’”
‘Shalya said, “Having been thus praised by the illustrious and supreme sage Brihaspati, the bearer of oblations spoke these supreme words. ‘I tell you truthfully that I will show Shakra to you.’ The fire entered the water, with its oceans and ponds. It went to the lake where Shatakratu was secretly hidden. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He searched through the lotuses and found Indra of the gods in the middle of a stalk. He returned quickly and told Brihaspati, ‘The lord is hidden inside the stalk of a lotus, in a very tiny form.’ With all the gods, rishis and gandharvas, Brihaspati went there and propitiated the slayer of Bala because of his earlier deeds. ‘O Shakra! You killed the great and terrible asura named Namuchi, and Shambara and Bala, both of whom were terrible in valour. O Shatakratu! Grow and destroy all the enemies. O wielder of the vajra! Arise and see the gods and the rishis who have come. O great Indra! O lord! You saved the world by killing the danavas. You used the foam of the waters, strengthened through Vishnu’s energy, to slay Vritra earlier. O king of the gods! O lord of the universe! You are worshipped by all beings. You are the one who should be worshipped. There is no other being in the world who is your equal. O Shakra! You sustain all the beings. You ensured the greatness of the gods. Save the world of the gods. O great Indra! Increase in strength.’ When he had been thus propitiated, he slowly grew. He assumed his own form and became endowed with strength. The god asked his preceptor Brihaspati, who was standing before him, ‘What task remains? The great asura who was the son of Tvashtra has been killed and so has the extremely gigantic Vritra who wished to devour the world.’102 Brihaspati replied, ‘The human King Nahusha has obtained the kingdom of the gods through the energy of the gods and the masses of rishis. He is grievously oppressing all of us.’ Indra asked, ‘How did Nahusha obtain the kingdom of the gods, difficult to attain? O Brihaspati! What austerities did he possess and what was his valour?’
‘“Brihaspati said, ‘The frightened gods wished for a Shakra, after you had given up the position of the great Indra. All the gods, the ancestors, the rishis and the masses of gandharvas then assembled. O Shakra! They went and told Nahusha, “Be our king and the herdsman of the universe.” Nahusha replied, “I do not have the capacity. You must make me increase through the energy of your austerities.” The gods acted in accordance with these words. He became a king with terrible valour. Having obtained the kingdom of the three worlds, that evil-souled one makes the ascetics bear him throughout the world. There is poison in his extremely terrible eyesight and it robs the energy. Nahusha must never look at you. All the gods are frightened of Nahusha. They roam in secret, so that he may not look at them.’”
‘Shalya said, “Thus spoke the best of the Angirasa lineage, Brihaspati. At that time, Kubera, guardian of the world, and the ancient Vaivasvata Yama, and the gods Soma and Varuna also arrived. When they arrived, they told the great Indra. ‘It is extremely fortunate that the son of Tvashtra and Vritra have been slain. It is extremely fortunate that you are hale and unhurt. O Shakra! We see that your enemies have been killed.’ Shakra then replied in the appropriate way and incited them against Nahusha. ‘Nahusha, the king of the gods, is terrible in form. Therefore, you must assist me against him.’ They said, ‘Nahusha is terrible in form. O god! There is poison in his eyes and we are frightened of him. O king! O Shakra! If you truly vanquish Nahusha, we should also be entitled to our share.’103 Indra replied, ‘It shall be that way. The lord of the waters,104 Kubera and Yama will also be instated with me. Uniting today, we will vanquish the enemy Nahusha, whose eyesight is terrible.’ Then the flaming fire told Shakra, ‘Give me a share also and I will render you assistance.’ Shakra said, ‘You will also get a share. In great sacrifices, there will be one share for Indra and Agni together.’105 Having thought about this, the illustrious and great Indra, the chastiser of Paka, made Kubera the lord of all the yakshas and riches, Vaivasvata of the ancestors and Varuna of the waters. With due honours, Shakra, the granter of boons, gave them these lordships.”’
680(17)
‘Shalya said, “When the intelligent king of the gods was thinking about a means for killing Nahusha, together with the guardians of the world,106 the illustrious ascetic Agastya appeared. He showed homage to Indra of the gods and said, ‘It is fortunate that you have gained in strength. Vishvarupa107 has been destroyed and the asura Vritra has been slain. O Purandara! It is through good fortune too that Nahusha has been dislodged from the kingdom of the gods. O destroyer of Bala! It is t
hrough good fortune that I look upon you now.’ Indra replied, ‘O maharshi! Welcome. I am happy to see you. Please accept from me water for washing the feet, water for washing the mouth, the cow and the arghya.’108 Having been thus honoured, that supreme of sages, bull among brahmanas, seated himself and the lord of the gods happily asked him, ‘O illustrious one! O supreme among brahmanas! I wish to hear from you how Nahusha, whose mind was set on evil, has been dislodged from heaven.’
‘“Agastya said, ‘O Shakra! Listen to the pleasant news of how the evil-souled and evil-acting King Nahusha, insolent because of his strength, has been dislodged from heaven. The immensely fortunate devarshis and the unblemished brahmarshis were exhausted at having to bear the evil-acting Nahusha. O god! O supreme among victorious ones! They posed a question to Nahusha. “Brahma has chanted mantras that should be used when cows are sprinkled.109 Are these accurate?” O Vasava! This is the question they asked. Nahusha’s senses were confounded because of darkness and he replied in the negative. The rishis said, “You are engaged in adharma. You do not know dharma. For us, they are accurate, because the maharshis have uttered them earlier.” O Vasava! While he was arguing with the sages, oppressed by adharma, this man touched my head with his foot.110 O consort of Shachi! Because of this, he lost his energy and his prosperity. I told the anxious one who was oppressed by fear, “This was undertaken by Brahma earlier and was observed by the brahmarshis.111 They should not be censured and you have censured them. You have touched my head with your foot. O stupid one! The rishis are like Brahma and are unassailable. You have made them carry around your vehicle. Therefore, you will lose your brilliance and will be dislodged from heaven. O evil one! With all your merits exhausted, you will be dislodged and will descend on earth. You will roam for ten thousand years in the form of a giant serpent. After this period is over, you will return again to heaven.” O destroyer of enemies! Thus, the evil-souled one was dislodged from the kingdom of heaven. O Shakra! It is through good fortune that the thorn of brahmanas has been uprooted and we are flourishing. O consort of Shachi! Return to heaven and protect the worlds. Conquer your senses and conquer your enemies. Be praised by the maharshis.’”
Mahabharata: Volume 4 Page 20